Comments by judgmentality

Gary: If you don't mind, please do, and please copy Antoine when you do and ask him to add them to the Alfaerie - Many. Also, if you could send the other colored pieces that we don't already have in Alfaerie - Many, such as the green and blue and red colored elephants, colored crooked rooks, etc. Would be deeply appreciated. Should be lots of fun to play. Thanks. (I'd do it myself but creation of even the most rudimentary graphics is just beyond my reach at the moment. Apologies.)

James, looking forward to seeing your tripunch ideas. Thank you.

Great ideas, James! The deadly sissa triad will be something to behold.

'If you think very similar games are about as good as each other, you should give them roughly equal rankings.' Fergus, I am quoting you here and I disagree with you. Though I might wish to see Grand Shatranj and Great Shatranj included, I don't want to see both versions of each included. If everyone who likes Grand Shatranj and Great Shatranj votes for all four of them, as you seem to be implying they should, we could easily end up with two versions of each, and I doubt hardly anyone would want that.

Ah, I see. To be frankly honest, I wasn't paying sufficient attention to your stipulation and for that I apologize. I feel the way I do when I make a blunder in a chess game. Hm. But I think my position, though it may appear weakened, still has value.

You do say 'Unless the number of players justifies it...' You were surprised by the number of people who voted in the initial poll; you could also be surprised by the number participating in this one. I don't think that's likely, so that doesn't remain as a substantive concern.

I do still have concerns that I don't see you addressing. Perhaps you can.

I still do have the concern that some people will not meticulously list all four as you seem to suggest they should and the votes will diffuse and that caprice could end up diffusing them. With the exception of Falcon Chess and Falcon Chess 100, which I think independently qualified and should both be added if they are both ranked high enough, I am still in favor of 'no one's' A or B. I know someone who strongly dislikes cannons and because of that, he is likely to rank one version of Grand Shatranj much lower; someone else could do the reverse and the result is diffusion. On the other hand, both people who like Grand Shatranj might end up being disappointed to know that neither were included despite the fact that each voted for a version of it. Isn't there an assumption you are making that people who like Great Shatranj will tend to like both versions approximately equally, that people who like Falcon Chess will like Falcon Chess 100 almost just as much? I am someone who prefers less familiar games so I will rank Falcon Chess 100 higher. That's an example of how votes between Falcon Chess and Falcon Chess 100 could get diffused with neither of them qualifying (though I think it fair games since both qualified).

In actual fact, to sum up, I expect diffusion so the chances that any versions of Mir Chess, Grand Shatranj, Great Shatranj and Falcon Chess will show up are lessened and they are playing on an unequal footing. In my last comment, I suggested that we ran the real danger of both versions of both showing up. In fact, the opposite concern seems to be more germane, no?

What I am saying in both comments though is that people are unlikely to rank all versions of each similarly, though if they look at this thread, it may motivate them to do so, but how many will pay attention to this detail?

Oh, right, in fact, I'd say most games are won because someone resigned! I know that is the way I lose most games. Good point. When someone knows they will lose anyway, it is not considered bad etiquette to resign, usually. In fact, sometimes the contrary. There is always the chance though that someone will drop dead of a heart attack before they manage to checkmate you, as someone once pointed out. I don't remember who.

So, rule 5, if a pawn comes out of the Tardis on Rank 8, presumably, it can promote, right? If it comes out on the first rank, does it have a two or three initial square step? If it comes out on the second rank, does it have a two square initial step?

If I am putting your king in check on the move the Tardis is destined to return, and there is no way for the Tardis to intercede, what happens? For example, if my opponent's king is on e1 and I check him on e2 with my queen on the move that your tardis is destined to return, what then? In Gifford's Time Travel Chess, this is addressed by saying that the time travelling piece is 'lost in time.'